How one courageous dog
overcame obstacles and changed his guardians' lives.By Dave and Laura
DonoghueFall 2005

People are inclined to feel sorry
for our partially blind and paraplegic dog, Fido, when they
first see him rolling down the street in his cart. Once they
meet him, however, they see that there is no reason to pity him—he
is a happy, sweet-natured dog who likes chasing birds and
getting treats.

Fido was an unplanned addition to
our family. Two weeks before our wedding, we visited a pet expo
at Navy Pier in Chicago. Before entering, we promised ourselves
that we were not, under ANY circumstances, adopting a dog that
day because our lives were too busy. Besides, we wanted a black
Cocker Spaniel so we thought we were safe. Then again, we also
had no idea we were about to meet the dog of our dreams.

At the show, we played with some
Shepherd puppies. The woman handling the pups asked if we were
interested in adopting. We said that we were thinking about
adopting in the near future, but that we wanted a black Cocker.
“The fattest Cocker Spaniel I have ever seen is in a booth in
the next aisle,” she said. We rounded the corner and met a
very rotund and energetic pooch with a cataract in his right
eye. They called him “Otto,” short for Ottoman because he
was shaped very much like one. We played with Otto for a few
minutes and fell in love. Despite our better intentions not to
adopt a dog that afternoon, we just couldn’t resist. We filled
out the paperwork and renamed him Fido.

Fido soon made himself at home,
spending his first few days sniffing, snorting, sneezing, and
passing gas (a nervous habit of his). We laughed, opened the
windows, and enjoyed our chubby, one-eyed, flatulent family
member. Over the next year-and-a half, Fido chased birds, stole
cookies from the counter, ate our vegetable plants, visited
Laura’s grandma in the nursing home, and secured his place in
our hearts.

Our lives completely changed on
June 28, 2004. Fido and Dave headed out for their morning walk.
While crossing an empty street to avoid some sprinklers, a car
suddenly tore out of an alley. The car struck Fido on his jaw
and on his back (narrowly missing Dave). The driver looked back
and watched Dave scoop Fido’s limp body off of the street. She
did not stop. Dave rushed home and we raced to the emergency
vet. Fido’s lower jaw was broken almost completely and was
hanging from his snout. He was crying (as were we) and there was
blood all over Laura’s shirt.

The doctors at the emergency vet
told us that Fido’s spine was nearly broken and his back legs
were paralyzed. They did not have the capacity to help him. From
there we rushed over to the Veterinary Specialty Center in
Buffalo Grove, where we learned that Fido’s spinal damage
might be reversible. We decided to try surgery, but the doctors
were unable to correct the damage to his spinal cord. We only
had a few minutes to decide whether to wake him or let him go.
There was only one option in our minds.

Fido woke up, confused and
scared. He spent a long week recovering in intensive care. We
visited him every night, and were so happy to see the flicker of
joy in his eyes as we fed him small bits of bacon and filet
mignon. The vet team suggested that we order a special wheeled
cart to enable Fido to walk on his own, and consider
rehabilitation. We will always be grateful to all of the doctors
and staff we encountered for being so skilled and compassionate.
They eased us through a very difficult time.

A company called K-9 Carts built
Fido a remarkable, custom-made cart based on a dozen
measurements of his body. As soon as we put Fido in the cart, he
raced off down the sidewalk. At first, he kept veering toward
the left (he is blind in his right eye), but he soon learned how
to walk in a relatively straight line. Today, he is completely
used to his little cart and has been racing around ever
since.

We also spent a lot of time at
TOPS Veterinary Rehab in Grayslake. Workers there taught us how
to care for Fido and help maintain his front-leg strength and
flexibility. They helped us develop a plan for keeping Fido
clean and healthy, and they groomed Fido when no one else would.
Thanks to TOPS, we have learned to care for Fido and to keep him
comfortable, strong, and as independent as possible.

His personality has since
returned to that of pre-accident Fido. He loves to chase birds
and squirrels, sneezes when he wants attention, tries to tip
over the garbage can, and runs around in a circle when he is
excited. Meals are still the highlight of his day and we’ve
since switched him from dry food to an all-natural, raw diet,
which he loves. He has dropped an overwhelming amount of weight
since the accident. Four-legged Fido weighed in at a hefty 33.8
pounds–he has since trimmed down to 22.5 pounds.

After our lives returned to
normal, Fido seemed a little lonely, so we decided to adopt
another dog. During a snowstorm last November, we drove to the
Illinois Cocker Spaniel Rescue in Harvard, Illinois. We brought
Fido along so that he and his potential new friend could choose
each other. A tiny black Cocker ran out of the barn near the
main house, yapping and wagging her tail. She followed Fido
around, and Fido seemed to enjoy the attention. A few hours
later, we became the proud guardians of Matilda, a small
3-year-old who thinks she’s a cat.

Fido became a celebrity in our
old neighborhood– there are not too many partially blind,
paraplegic dogs rolling around. We have recently moved so now
Fido and his sidekick Matilda will have the chance to make new
friends in our new Birmingham, Michigan, neighborhood. Fido has
made our family stronger and has taught us much about the
importance of strength, love, and perseverance. We are blessed
to have him with us.